Walt Harper
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Walt Harper (birthdate unknown; died October 25, 2006) was an American musician.
Harper was a jazz pianist, and was a well-known legend in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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[edit] Early life
Harper grew up in the Schenley Heights section of Pittsburgh; his father had a business as a contractor. He became interested in music when he attended Schenley High School.
Harper played valve trombone in the all-city band. He also was a member of the Swinging Five, a jazz group he founded with bassist Ray Brown (who himself would become a noted jazz musician). As teenagers, Harper and Brown would often go to jazz musician Errol Garner's house to watch him play piano.
After graduating from high school in 1947, Harper went to Pitt for two years.
[edit] Musical career
Harper had a 10-piece band that performed around the country from 1949 to 1954. He also played a number of smaller venues; he gained the nickname "The Prom King" since he and his band played so many high school and college dances.
Several years of touring took their toll on Harper, and he decided to stay, and play, in Pittsburgh. In 1958, Harper's band started a standing gig at the Crawford Grill in the Hill District. Crawford Grill became a popular destination, and Harper remained there until 1969 when he opened his club, Walt Harper's Jazz Attic, in downtown Pittsburgh. He also had a restaurant, Harper's, in downtown Pittsburgh from 1983 to 1988.
In the 1970s, Harper and his band were hired by the owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers to play at all home games, and they did so until 2002.
Harper's reputation as a musician often attracted other notable jazz musicians to his clubs. Among the musicians featured at Harper's venues were Cannonball Adderly, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Max Roach, Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis, and Nancy Wilson.
[edit] Death
The cause of Harper's death has been stated in the media as an apparent heart attack.
Harper is survived by his wife, Maggie, and their daughter, Sharynn, as well as a sister.
